Road Trippin'
by ManuKaikan
Summary: Day One from Faberry Week, 'Road Trip' - Rachel had finally become adult.She had never thought she would have said that since he parents were so overprotective about here, but she would have finally become a woman, after that experience.She would have gone on the first road trip all by herself.From Lima to New York, by car, completely alone, and she was looking forward to it.


Pairing: Faberry

Rating: T

Summary: Day One ,Faberry Week, 'Road Trip' by ManuKaikan.  
Rachel had finally become had never thought she would have said that since he parents were so overprotective about here, but she would have finally become a woman, after that would have gone on the first road trip all by Lima to New York, by car, completely alone, and she was looking forward to it.  
Warning: AU

English is not my first language I'm Italian was translated by my dear friend.

Enjoy!

Day 1 | Road Trip

Road Trippin'  
[red hot chili peppers]

She had finally become adult.

She had never thought she would have said that since he parents were so overprotective about here, but she would have finally become a woman, after that experience.

She would have gone on the first road trip all by herself.

From Lima to New York, by car, completely alone, and she was looking forward to it.

It had took a lot to persuade Hiram, her more anxious father who had already begun to tell about horrible sceneries, picturing a call during the night to announce them about the dismembered body that had been found.

Leroy, clearly less dramatic, had listed the good and bad sides of that experience and then, after a scrupulous analysis, decided that it could have been important for Rachel to try that type of adult experiment.  
Come September, she would have begin attending Julliard since she was already in. She had to deliver some modules and her dads had already found her a comfortable and useful flat in a quiet zone of the city. She'd have used that travel to get a look at the house, start bringin something there and spend some time in the place in which she would have spend the next years.

Finally, Rachel succeeded in filling the trolley, fitting the bathroom stuff and he shoes the best she could, while her dad was standing next to her, lending the last few things to her.

"Stop being so annoying, Rach" Leroy told her with an affectionate tone.

Even though he didn't want to let her go, he wasn't really sad about the idea of spending a little time alone with his husband.

"I'm not, dad" she protested, trying to look like she was outraged.

She wasn't annoying, she was just cautious. She could not imagine how the weather was in New York, especially because she had never been there and she wanted to be prepared for all the cases, even though that enormous trolley upon her bed didn't look like a comfort for her upcoming travel.

When she had everything ready, they reached for Hiram who was waiting on the porch. He took the trolley from his husband's hands – since Leroy had helped his daughter dragging it down the stairs because of the weight – and loaded it into the boot, before closing it producing a huge noise. He walked around the car and kissed sweetly at his little girl's forehead while Leroy started shaking his own hands nervously.

"Everything's gonna be fine, dad" Rachel tried to reassure him with a smile.

"Please, Rach, ju-" he began.

"Yeah, of course, I will call you each and every single time I'm stopping and for almost everything, I know it"

"It's just … you're so small and …" Leroy murmured, putting a hand on his heart.

"I'm eighteen," she answered, "isn't it the time for me to grow?"

Leroy nodded and lead over to kiss her upon her cheek while Hiram opened the door to let her in. Rachel took the driver's place, putting her bag upon the other front seat, taking out her phone and bringing it to the dashboard.

"Ready?" Hiram asked with a sweet smile on his face.

"Never been readier!" she exclaimed holding the steering wheel tight.

"Then, go and conquer!" the man answered and closed the door, paying attention because he didn't want to hurt her of course.

Rachel turned the keys and the engine roared into the silence of the whole neighborhood. She pulled on the safety belt, checked the rear-view mirror, straightened the seat so that she could reach the brakes and then, with a smile, she engaged the clutch.

"Be careful!" Leroy screamed, shaking his hand when the car moved along the boulevard, "and don't give lifts" he added sadly.

Xxxxxx

She needed to stop.

She passed a big sign that informed the drivers about the next highway stop. She gave a look at the fuel pointer and she also noticed that lunch time had already passed. So she decided to have a break. She indicated and, after she had stated that the lane was free, she exited the highway, entering the motorway area and drove paying attention to the pedestrians.

She filled up and then found a parking shadowed set. She grabbed her wallet, the mobile – putting it into the pocket – and put her bag back into the luggage since she didn't want to carry it around, before she could walk to the rest stop.

Luckily, they had started to stock up with vegan food and it was easy for her to find something she could eat that didn't include animal ingredients or any by-product. She asked for what she chose and then walked to the toilettes. When she got back, the kind woman behind the counter had already packed it up and she was handing it towards Rachel with a smile. Rachel grabbed it and thanked her politely.

Everything had been fine untill that moment. But then she got to the cash desk. She started counting every small change into her wallet, while a crowd was forming behind her, before she could notice she didn't have all that money in there.

"I have a few more coins in my car" she announced smiling towards the clerk.

"Oh for the sake of anything in the world" somebody exclaimed behind her.

Rachel turned and found out that it was one the most beautiful girls she had ever seen in her whole life. Deep green eyes were studying here from head to toes, before that girl could lean over to put two one dollar bills on the counter. The clerk sighed with relief.

"Excuse me," Rachel said politely, arms crossed against her chest, "if you don't mind, you should wait your turn, I still haven't finished."

"These aren't to pay my article," the girl answered, waving the bottle of water she was holding, "I think it would be too much, I mean two dollars for a bottle of water, isn't it?" she explain, raising an eyebrow, before she could add, "these are for you, you will give _me _the coins you collect in your car."

"I don't think that's-"

A bothered buzz arose from the crowd behind that strange girl, Rachel sighed theatrically and pushed the money towards the clerk , looking a little upset, before she could take her articles. She waited for that awkward girl to do the same and she followed her outside of the building while still wearing that annoyed face.

"If you may follow me" she began, "my car is this way."

The blonde girl smiled amused shaking her head, "don't be so prissy, I'm not that older than you," she said, leaning a hand, "It's Quinn, Quinn Fabray."

Rachel starred at her for a moment and rolled her eyes, before she could hold that hand into her own.

"Rachel Berry."

"Rachel huh?" she commented, raising her eyebrow, "it's such a beautiful name" she continued, smiling in an elegant way.

Rachel opened her mouth to answered, but for some weird reason those white teeth caught her unprepared, making her blush in a shy way.

Where did she come out of? Who told her she could pay for her and who give her the permission to introduce herself in such a sexy way?

"Follow me" she said finally, moving towards the parking lot, not even turning to watch if she was or not.

But Quinn _was_ following her, of course she was. Actually she had an amazing view on her hips moving well-coordinated to her steps.

'_What are you think? She might not even be eighteen and you're definitely too mature to drool over young girls'_ she reminded '_but she is worth it_' she caught herself thinking smugged.

Quinn patiently waited for her at a small distance, while Rachel opened the car door and leant on to grab something from the glove compartment. She even had to look away because she was staring too most, considering that they had met minutes ago.

"Here" Rachel said, finally handing the money.

Quinn smile and she took the wallet from the back pocket. She placed them there slowly giving Rachel the chance to look at her carefully.

The girl was wearing a white undershirt and knee-long jeans, black converse and she had a big rucksack placed on her shoulders. That detail made Rachel wonder: she angled her head, searching for an explanation.

"Where's your car?" she asked when she realized she was too curious to give up.

Quinn rose her eyes and a eyebrow and Rachel thought it might have been a twitch because she was repeating that movement on and on.

"I don't have a car" she answered, shoulders shrugging.

"Yo-you don't have a car?" Rachel babbled "did it break?"

Why was she asking all those questions? Why did she even care?

"Rachel, remember what daddy said! Don't be familiar to strangers, it could be anybody! "

Quinn laughed, shaking her head, "Nope, I'm hitching ride" she explained, then she looked around and pointed a small refreshment stand, not too far, "I hate eating while standing" she said, changing the topic, "Since you're willing to ask me a thousand of things, why don't we sit so we can have a comfortable luch?"

Without even waiting for the answered, she moved towards the small grass, paying attention to cars. And, second time in a few minutes, Rachel blushed angrily, before she could follow here, holding the plastic bag with her own lunch.

Quinn had already sat under a big tree, putting the sack on the grass and opening a packaging of what looked like meat, while the other girl sat next to her.

Rachel had no idea of why she sat at her table, they didn't even know each other, but for some weird reason, she had the feeling that their chance encounter had been concocted by the destiny itself.

But she was known for that actually: she lived with her head above cloud, for example, her biggest dream – since she was three – was performing on the greatest stages in the world, starting from Broadway. She was such a dreamer that she started to idolize her high school love affair: Finn Hudson.

He had been her first love – or at least she thought so for long – and she had even though about pushing her dreams to the background of her love story until her best friend Noah opened her eyes. Finn wasn't the right guy for her, he would have blocked her into a town like Lima and a certainly not shining future. So, right before senior year was over, she dumped him and it was the best thing ever.

Now, she was free, headed to the city that would have been her home like forever maybe, with a future full of  
expectations and chances to also meet her soul mate. New York was big, full of people, and she was sure her future love was right there, waiting along those crowded frenetic streets.

Maybe that was the reason why she followed that unknown girl towards the table. She was sure that each and every encounter would have driven her to a new useful experience. That girl was a little older than her and she was hitchhiking through America, so she must have been a very adventurous person who was able to carry off by herself, so she surely had a lot of things to teach her.

"So, Rachel Berry …" she started, opening her jackknife, ready to slice her beef-steak, "How come are you traveling?" she asked, cutting a piece of meat before she could bring it with the edge of the knife and drop it into her mouth.

Rachel stared at that a little stunned before she could move her look towards the plastic white fork and grab some leaves of salad.

"I'm going to New York" she answered after a long pause, "I'm attending college in September and I need to check my flat."

'___Why the hell did you give her this information? C'mon, Rach, why don't you tell her your address too?_'

"New York, huh?" Quinn smiled, still holding that knife while Rachel wondered what could that beef-steak have done to deserve such a pitiful treatment, "that's where people hope to find love" she continued, moving the next piece towards her mouth.

"Yes, the city of dreams" she answered with a smile, "and here I thought love was to be searched in Paris."

"Paris, Paris" she shook her head, making her short blond wisps move over her eyes, "I've been there and I thought it was better. New York will always be my first love. It's so good to back there after so long."

Rachel rose her head all of a sudden, "are you from New York?" she asked while curiosity pumped through her veins.

Quinn smile, cleaned her mouth with a napkin, "isn't it evident?" she mocked her "Isn't this and authentic New York face?" she asked but when she saw those eyes filled up with expectation, she shook her head again and grabbed the bottle of water, "I've been living there since a long time, I moved there four years ago with my best friend."

"Is it as amazing as they say?"

Rachel looked like a kid in a candy shop and Quinn understood that she was really a little girl and she almost made her have tender feelings.

"Even more" she said, simply blinking "Is this going to be your first time there?" she asked before she could move the bottle until it reached her lips and starting to drink.

Rachel nodded and blushed, noticing how her own behavior was making her look childish at that girl's eyes. How could people take her seriously if she acted like that?

"You will get the chance to see it all" Quinn reassured her, "it looks enormous but, actually, if you know where to go, it become a lot smaller than it seems."

She stood up and walked by for a few steps to rinse the knife, before she could close it carefully and put it back to the pocket of her jeans. Rachel watched her throwing the meat box and drinking until the bottle was empty. Then, she throw that into the basket too.

She was hypnotized by those movements like she had never been in her entire life: seeing that think and quite well built body moving so confidently made her shiver. She finished her salad fast because she was afraid the girl could disappear just like she had appeared before, while an idea was starting to shake from the inside of her head.

'___Don't give lifts to strang-_'

She blocked her dad's voice from exploding into her head, while she stood up too in order to reach for the basket, noticing that Quinn had taken out a map and was starting to study it with care.

'___Now or never__' _she though, taking a long deep breath.

"So you're hitchhiking …" she began "and you haven't got a lift yet …"

Quinn rose her look and scowled, waiting for her to go on.

"Since I'm headed to New York too …" she continued, trying not to look at her and focusing on her shoes.

"Are you giving me a lift, Rachel Berry?" Quinn ended with an amused smile on her face.

"Well, w-we're going in the same direction," she answered babbling, "and you know New York so well, you could tell me a-about it and … and … God …"

Quinn laughed and closed the map back, putting it into the side pocket of her big rucksack before she could stand up again and stretch out, enjoying that little girl blushing and babbling in front over. It had been a lot since last time, even though she had a great success with women, like her friend Santana used to say:

"_You have too much sex appeal, Fabray, I'm the only one who didn't fall into your trap._"

And if that was the case, why shouldn't they have a little fun together?

"I'm willing to accept" she answered still wearing that amused smile.

Rachel stood a little stunned because of that answer before smiling back while her cheeks were getting red again.

"Then, it would be better for us to leave if we don't wanna be like forever-stuck in traffic" she exclaimed, clapping her hands to fight the embarrassment.

"You go first" Quinn said with a hand gesture, grabbing the rucksack and placing it on her shoulders.

And while they were headed to the car, Rachel forced herself to pull away her dad's voices from the back of her mind.

Xxxxxx

The sun was going down over that long cement blanker, creating lights and shadows effects that made the sunset something unforgettable every single time Quinn saw it. And she couldn't help but thanking God for allowing her to see it.

She held the cross she wore as a necklace and closed her eyes for a moment. She was not even a big Christian, not any longer, especially after her parents turned her out because they found out she was gay. Back in time, heading to the church, praying, being devoted to God was a duty that include following all of the dogmas of the Christian religion. When she lost her home, anyway, and she was left alone, without a family, and broke, she understood that being devoted was not that helpful.

She learnt that stranger were more willing to help than her parents were. She had lived being abandoned on her own skin, hunger and cold, but she came out with her head high.

She couldn't deny she prayed and God did actually listen to her, even though she like women, even though she was abomination according to her parents, GOD listened helped her. It helped her to stand up, It gave her a roof, It allowed her to complete her studies with no one's help.

When the car wheels banged into a pit, giving her a start and pushing the necklace far from her fingers, Quinn opened her eyes again and looked – she actually did that all the time – the girl sitting next to her with a certain interest.

Her long brown hair fell waved upon her shoulders, chocolate eyes - that were the most expressive ones she had ever seen – were focused on the street, small hands with finger grabbing the steering wheel and perfect built legs that spread at every single movement towards the pedals.

Quinn had to admit that Miss Rachel Berry was such of a show for her eyes, even though the age difference could be a problem. Quinn's twenty-four years weren't too evident actually, but still, they were twenty-four years. It meant more experience, partners, maturity, so many things … but that girl had something that attracted her like no one.

"Excuse me?" she needed to ask when she realized that Rachel's lips had moved but she hadn't caught a single word.

"There was a car crash nearby" she repeated a little irritated, leaning on to turn up the volume of the radio, "there will be a terrible delay, endless lines" she complained, punching the steering wheel, "and the sun is going down."

Quinn stared at the awesome sun vision a little longer before she could shake her head to look back at her road trip partner. That was a real problem: they risked spending the night into that car.

"Yes, that's definitely a problem" she agreed, nodding sadly and putting a finger upon her lips while she was thoughtful "we could stop for the night" she proposed, shaking her shoulders.

At that Rachel moved her gaze away from the road to look at her, and she went back to the highway.

Stop for the night? Where? In the middle of nowhere? In the woods?

She didn't want to sleep into the nature, so full of bugs, weird little beings and who knows what else … that thought was enough to make her shiver.

"Where would we stop?" she asked, voice trembling, scared at the idea of the possible answers to that question.

"Well, I guess we'll find a motel or something on our way."

'___A motel, oh Saint Moses, what is she planning?__' _Rachel wondered.

And that was the first time she was wondering if it had been a good idea to let her in the car. But she didn't look like a serial killer or something.

'___The costume doesn't make the clown!__'_

"Oh God …" she whispered.

"Anything okay?" Quinn asked, raising the eyebrow as usually.

"Yeah, of course" Rachel answered, wearing a fake smile.

Quinn starred at her for long and she smile back. Rachel was clearly upset and Quinn couldn't blame her for that because it was really a strange situation. She wondered if she would have had the same courage at Rachel's age. She let a stranger enter her car to drive for miles and miles, the two of them, all alone.

"If you're not comfortable with that, you might sleep into the car and I'll do it under the stars" she added like it was the most natural thing ever.

Rachel didn't answer, she studied her for a long moment, she watched her while she searched for something into her rucksack: it looked like a manual. Then, she also took something from her pocket.

It was the knife she had used at lunch time.

'___God, the motel__, __spending night together, knife …__'_ Rachel barely swallowed looking back at the road while she was starting to sweat '___What have you done, Rachel? Who did you allow to enter your car?__'_

"So …" Quinn murmured.

Rachel saw her playing with that blade she was holding while she carefully studied the little book upon her legs. The girl leant on and took a small plastic bag. She opened it and took out a gorgeous red apple.

Rachel shivered with fear when she stared at how that girl was torturing the poor apple, almost like it was going through a though operation.

'___What did that poor apple do to deserve that?_' she wondered while she observed Quinn bringing the tip of the knife to her lips after she had cut a big piece, not very gently.

"Rachel?"

Hearing her name woke her up from that mental trance status and she tried to look quiet, but she knew that Quinn would have noticed her tension despite Rachel's excellent acting skills. She saw something red appearing along the path followed by her eyes and she understood that it was that apple.

Quinn was offering a piece of apple.

She nodded softly to refuse and kept watching the road, making her guest more and more perplexed. Quinn stared for a long endless moment and she couldn't help but smile when she realized which was the cause for Rachel's fear, because it was the cause for a lot of people's actually: her knife.

She wasn't surprised at all with that: that weapon was used to scare almost anyone she met. Could they be blamed? It was quite big, long and sharp blade, definitely intimidating.

But it was a present by her best friend and she wouldn't have freed of it, even though she though it could have been a good thing if she stopped using it in front of other people, but it was something she couldn't let go. She really cared. That small little metal stack had saved Santana Lopez's life in Iraq, bringing her back home safe, with a bandaged leg maybe, but still able to use perfectly all of her major motor skills undamaged.

When she came back to America, she had married her high school girlfriend, Brittany Pierce, and gave that knife to Quinn as a gift to represent their great deep friendship and as she said to her: '___I want need it anymore, I'll never be far from my woman again, I want to start a family.'_

And Quinn could tell that the knife had helped her in a few hard situation, especially during that trip, when she had been force to spend the night into the woods, eating anything she could find because no one wanted to drive her around.

That adventure would have been gold for her job.

"Which college are you going to attend?" she asked suddenly, trying to soften the heavy situation that was born in compartment.

Rachel gave her a fast gaze before she could brake when she noticed a line of cars and she sighed hard. Then, she realized Quinn had made her a question.

"Julliard." She answered after a long pause.

"Amazing college." Quinn affirmed, nodding, while she was cleaning the knife to put it back into the pocket of the rucksack.

"I know." Rachel answered, before she could spread her mouth open.

She was nervous because of the slow traffic and she answered Quinn so bad without even a clear reason and she wasn't used to act like that.

"I'm sorry," she said, inhaling a deep breath to calm the nerves down, "I'm so irritated because of this slowdowns, I don't like contingencies."

Quinn smile sweetly, "Contingencies are ordinary," she reassured her, "an Julliard is still an amazing college, anyway."

She added giggling.

Rachel smiled back relaxed and happy that she hadn't offended her with that unkind behavior.

"What about you? Do you work in New York?" She asked Quinn.

"Of course." She answered with a smile.

"Yes, of-of course you have a job." Rachel babbled, blushing hard. "What I meant was … what's your job?"

Quinn thought that she was adorable with red cheeks and that embarrassed look. She was so tender as every girl of that age should have been. Quinn couldn't and she decided not to think about it, remembering that even after all that she had been through, she had been able to come out victorious outside of the abyss that brought her down.

"I'm a journalist." She answered, in the end.

It was reassuring. Rachel hadn't clear in her mind which was the reason why the fact she was a journalist was so reassuring but it was. It shouldn't have been that tough, because she had no reason to believe in anything Quinn was saying. Also, she was starting to think that Quinn's charm was the main reason she didn't want to believe what she was saying.

"A journalist?" she asked, still hesitant, even if she had to admit to herself that she was breathing more normally. Quinn nodded, so she decided that the conversation could go on, "What are you interested in?"

She was curious. She wanted to know everything about her, but at the same time she was afraid to find out that she could chose unwisely and she shouldn't have let her enter her car.

"I'm interested in almost everything actually" she answered with a smile, "but right now, I'm writing a piece for touristic magazine, valuing the possible ways of travel." She explain with a professional tone, "I've already gained a lot of information and now I'm going back because I need to write the piece and I have a deadline for that."

That was comforting. It made sense. She was going all around the country hitchhiking simply so that she could use that experience to write the piece. It looked as a natural and coherent explanation to Rachel so she thought that it couldn't have been made up at the moment. She nodded and got a grip.

"It must be awesome," she commented, finally starting a natural conversation, "you must travel a lot, I suppose."

Quinn smile because she saw relaxed finally and the journey would have been calmer like that. So, she sighed in relief.

"A lot, really." She admitted with dreamy eyes.

She had always dreamt about going around the world and luckily her work allowed that. She saw a lot of cities in Europe, America and Asia too, so she had to confess that she couldn't complain anything about her job.

"Let's say I went all over the world" she confessed, blinking.

Rachel listened amuse to those words because traveling all around was so charming for anybody, especially for such a dreamer like she was. And before she could even notice, she was already speaking again.

"Wow! It must be awesome then! I've always wanted to go around the world, in a certain way, even though New York is my spiritual destination." She started to get petulant again, as soon as she got a little certainty about Quinn, "I think that all of these experiences are a good way to expand your horizons, shake your soul, they make you explore a new side of you, something that is also in the inside" she explained with theatrical attitude, forcing herself not to close her eyes only because she was driving, "Look!" she interrupted the talk, "there's a motel!"

And for a moment she left the steering wheel and Quinn turned pale, "Yes, I've seen it!" she answered, "Put your hands on the steering wheel for God's sake!"

Her heart had started beating like a hammer because, for a moment, the car had skidded towards the other lane that had just freed from the cars so much that they could go even a little fast. She saw her blushing hard and bringing both her hands back on the steering wheel, while she indicated, ready to turn, considering Quinn's observation as a 'yes'.

Xxxxxxx

The room they had could have been better actually, if the motel wouldn't have been so shabby, but the first they had encountered was full.

A lot of people had the same idea as them and decided to stop for the night, waiting for the traffic for that car crash to disappear, leaving the roads empty to allow them to travel.

End of the story, they had to check upon four motels before they could find a place to spend the night and considering the way that motel was held, it wasn't search a surprise for Rachel how empty it was. The man at the reception had given them a room with a shabby-looking double bed with sheets that made Rachel shiver as soon as she noticed them. The furniture wasn't that steady and the bathroom was the only decent thing luckily. It looked new because of that perfect white, while the rest looked like it was abandoned a lot of time before.

Rachel grabbed her clothes, ready to go to bathroom: after that long journey and that crash, she really needed a relaxing show. She turned to her unknown or almost unknown travel partner and smiled.

"I-I … 'm going to have a shower." She told her, pointing at the bathroom, "Then, maybe, we could deal for the dinner?" she asked because she knew she had to precise something about it.

Quinn let the curtain she was holding into her hands, interrupting her view upon the road. She spent all the time searching for something good to eat but it wasn't as easy as it might have seemed.

"I was thinking about going around searching for something" Quinn explained with a smile, "Do you have any preference?"

Rachel looked at her realizing that she almost read her mind. It was better because it wouldn't have been kind to tell before she could ask. She held the clothes tight into her hands, whishing that it wouldn't have been a problem. It happened to her to make other people sigh because of her food vices – _choices_ actually – but since Quinn hadn't to make dinner herself …

'_And I allowed her to enter my car and she asked me, I don't need to feel guilty._'

"I am vegan."

Quinn rose her eyebrow, not even believing that such a young girl could adopt that lifestyle. Maybe because teenagers only ate junk food and drank alcohol, went around all night. She did that and maybe even worse.

"You're vegan …" she murmured softly, "Yeah, okay. It won't be easy in here, but I suppose I can find something." She said with an higher voice, stepping towards the bed and grabbing a jeans jacket from her bag, "I really hope I can find something you enjoy."

Rachel smile because she realized from that detail that she had thought too much. She was a stranger but that kind attitude was enough to make Rachel understand what a beautiful person she was.

She would avoid telling her dads that she was in a motel with a strange when she'd call them, later that night.

"Thanks." She whispered back, already heading to the bathroom as soon as Quinn would have closed the door.

xxxxxx

Quinn came back after about twenty minutes and she had to admit her impression was correct. She didn't find anything decent and she was forced to buy a salad to Rachel. But since they have had lunch together she knew it was exactly what she had at lunch hour. She felt so guilty.

When she walked into the door, surprisingly, Rachel hadn't stepped out of the bathroom yet. She shrugged and then put the plastic bag upon the bed and she let herself fall on it, after she had taken off her jacket. She pulled a hand along her face and sighed hard while she was begging to feel the weight of the day. Sleeping on a bed was such a good thing.

xxxxxx

She left the last drops of water slip along her body that was good-smelling again after that stressing day and closed the water. She put the feet upon the carpet and succeeded in reaching the towel. It was hard being so short sometimes. She moved it across her hair and then rolled it around her body. She stepped forward, reached for the slippers and put them on. She turned to the door and breathed in – she wasn't nothing sure she would have found Quinn out there – before she could pull off the door handle and get out.

When Quinn heard the door open, she took the arm off of her face, but she wasn't ready for the show she saw. Not able to control her body, she went back to a sitting position, mouth and eyes wide open.

'___Oh my God …__' _she murmured softly across her mind, '___look at her__._'

A towel – it was even too much to name that small little thing a 'towel' – was surrounding her bust but letting her long gorgeous thigh naked. And Quinn had to admit she already noticed them that morning. She swallowed when she saw Rachel walking down the room, moving towards her own bag, and she needed to blink to let the blood run back to her brain.

Rachel started to search into a bag, a sort of beauty case, for an hairbrush. As soon as she found it, she started to move it through her hair, before she could get her attentions back to Quinn.

"So?" she asked innocently, before leaning on towards her, "Did you find something to eat?" she asked without even noticing the surprised expression on Quinn's face or paying attention to what that towel allowed to see because of her moves.

Quinn moved her tongue upon her lips to get them wet, trying to contain herself. She needed to repeat into her mind that she was older than her, yes, she was, and Rachel was acting like that only because she saw no malice in what she was doing.

But Quinn did. May God have punished her in that own very moment, she did.

'___It's all your fault, Santana,__'_ she growled into her mind, '___Passing all these years with you, your double meaning and your stupid pick up lines. You ruined me!_'

_"_I brought dinner." She was able to say in the end, pulling her gaze away towards the plastic bag beside her, "but I couldn't find nothing but a salad, I'm so sorry." She apologized as if it was her fault.

Rachel put the hairbrush down and ran towards the bed. She sat in front of her, clapping her hands. Suddenly that situation had turned into a game. All of Rachel's doubts had disappeared because of the fact that Quinn had brought her dinner.

"It's okay!" she commented, staring at her searching for the dinner, anxious to consume it with her since she had started that journey alone. "I couldn't have asked for anything better!" she also exclaimed to reassure Quinn because there was no need for something else. A salad was so okay.

Quinn closed her eyes for a second and then she put the bag in front of them, bringing out the salad she had made the man bundle and trying not to stare too much. She saw Rachel taking it and smile sweetly at her, before she could sit more comfortable, fixing the towel she was wearing.

Quinn focused on her toast that didn't even look that tasty but she was so hungry that she just shrugged and took a bite. Luckily, after all of those journeys, including wood trips and things like that, she had learnt eating almost _everything_.

They stood in silence for a while and Quinn never arose her gaze during that time, trying to pay attention to her 'dinner' – so called actually – and to remember about her agenda once she had been back to New York.

She would have surely gone to the Lopez-Pierce's to play with her little babies, their mom and also her best friend. She would have gone to editorial office and then, she would have started writing that piece. Also, she would have needed to go to the car she shot because her car broke right before she could leave and …

"Oh my God!" the scarred scream Rachel gave made her start in fear and she was forced to look over.

Rachel had stood upon of the mattress, stepping right away from the bed covering her mouth with her hands and with her body shaking.

"What's up?" Quinn asked worried, controlling that Rachel hadn't found something weird into the salad.

"Oh mine, it's horrifying!" Rachel murmured, hitting the pavement with her feet and pointing at something behind her head.

Quinn scowled and turned and she couldn't keep herself from laughing when she saw the bug – actually a _bed_bug – that was walking on the pillow. She was always surprised by women's reactions to bugs. She remembered the Brittany once didn't sleep almost all night because a spider was in front of her room and Santana was there to '_save her from that eight-legged monster'_ as she defined it.

"It's just a bug" she commented with a smile.

"It's horrifying!" she repeated hysterical, keeping the towel tight with one hand and still pointing at the bug with the other,

"Not a chance I'll sleep tonight! Take it off, kill it, for God's sake, do something?"

"Weren't you a vegan?" she asked with an amused smile, "shouldn't you love animals?"

"Not those ones!"

"Yet, they shouldn't get killed." Quinn answered.

She leant towards the plastic bag and took a napkin from it. She turned to that poor little thing and with delicate movement she put the paper under his tiny body, grabbing him softly.

"You just need to show them the exit gently." She continued, heading to the door.

Rachel watched her disappear for a few minutes before she came back with empty hands and a sweet tender smile upon her face. That was the moment she realized Quinn wasn't the person she thought, despite the knife and the motel suggestion.

"T-thanks." She said a little embarrassed, realizing how she had acted crazy, "I-I just can't stand them."

"No problem." Quinn reassured her, sitting along the bed to search for her pajama into the rucksack, actually shorts and a top were her pajama, "I'll put them on. If you see any other undesired guest, just scream and I'll come and save you."

She mocked her, blinking, before she could enter the bathroom.

Rachel starred at the closed door and for the first time since she had left Lima, she truly relaxed and got her lips turning into a delicious smile, while she was grabbing the clothes she had left upon the bed.

She put on the underwear fast before she could cover her half naked body with a long shirt – it wasn't that long for her body – that barely covered her ass, and then she walked to the bed.

A double bed, sort of a cliché, but still reality.

After she had pulled her back against the wall, she grabbed the remote from the night table and turned on the tv to have come company, while she waited for her roommate to come back. She stopped on a random channel, not even interested in checking what it was about, before she could lay down, relaxing her head on the pillow. She looked at those images without paying real attention to them because her brain was starting to feeling weak and before she could stop her eyes from closing, they already did.

Quinn opened the door a few minutes later and she didn't notice that Rachel had felt asleep until she reached her – after she had taken her own clothes away – and saw her sleepy with a hand upon her cheek. She smiled.

She was adorable, amazingly adorable … and small.

But Quinn couldn't avoid watching her for long. Her sharp cheekbones, full opened lips, long lashes that closed those chocolate eyes – yes, she had spent a lot of time staring at them when they were opened – that nose, yes, it was big but it was so particular that gave her something unique. That girl was a masterpiece.

She smiled and leant on to grab the remote Rachel had left beside her, before she could totally lie there, moving a wisp away from her face, realizing just a second later that she had done it.

'___What are you doing?_' She wondered, '___You don't even know who she is, how dare you?_'

She had no idea, but she felt too much of attraction to that little sweet girl. She shook her head strong and let her body fall to mattress. She turned off the television and put a arm upon her own face, closing her eyes.

"I'm exhausted." She murmured herself, before turning to that girl beside her and smiling tenderly, "Good night, Rachel Berry." She whispered before she could close her eyes again.

It didn't take long before she could feel asleep.

xxxxxx

Quinn wouldn't have told but that trip had been one of the best of her whole life. She stared, dazzling smile, at the city where she had bought a house, found an established work and where her closest affections where, before she could give another look to the girl next to her.

They had spent three awesome day, she had to admit it. After that break in the cheap motel, they went back to travel and the '_intimacy_' – if so it could have been called – they had built with sleeping in the same bed, exploded during the following days. The embarrassment had disappeared and they began to learn about each for real.

Quinn had discovered interesting things about Rachel. She loved Broadway as much as she loved Julliard, maybe even more. Her biggest dream was to reach for that stage and becoming as famous as Barbra Streisand – not more because Barbra was still Barbra – and she couldn't wait for the day she could have seen her face in Time Square.

She had ambitious projects, Quinn knew but she also realized how focused she was: it was about 'ambitions' not only '_dreams_' and Rachel would have done anything to make them real.

Also, Rachel had discovered so much about Quinn. She loved her job more than anything else, she had a dog that made her so happy and if her best friend wouldn't have been that much of a bitch and so similar to her – and even if she hadn't been so in love with her sweet wife – she would have probably been her soulmate.

And then Rachel realized Quinn was gay.

Because of her dads, it wasn't a problem to her, but maybe, Quinn could have told that before she could walk around their room by only wearing that small towel. Not that Quinn had taken any advantage of that, otherwise she had acted like a real lady.

"Sweet home." Quinn murmured rapt while they entered the urban zone in New York, "Are you happy?" and when she noticed there was no answer, she turned to Rachel.

Rachel looked like she was lost in a brand new world, shining eyes, opened mouth, hands shaking upon the steering wheel and she couldn't stop smiling in a silly way.

She was in New York, _New York_!

She did it, she was there, even though only for two weeks. But that was the city of her dreams, the place she had always wanted to live in, to built a family, a name and she was there, she would have walked down those streets.

"Are you sure you're okay, Rachel?" Quinn asked, cowling her eyebrows, quite worried because she looked like she was about to hyperventilate.

Rachel nodded nervously, wearing an enormous upon those perfect lips, "I'm in New York!" She said, euphorically, "Quinn, I'm in New York!"

Quinn giggled at that, "Yes, Rachel, you're in New York." She confirmed smiling "So, what's the first thing you're gonna do now that you're in here?" she asked curious.

When people usually got there, they'd run to the Statue of Liberty, drink in a Starbucks, go and check the Empire State Building or, maybe, like Rachel, Broadway. But Rachel surprised her.

"I'm carrying you home." She simply said, unable to pull away from her face the smile she had started to wear since they'd arrived. "But you need to tell me where I should go because I have no idea-"

"Turn there." Quinn pointed.

The rest of the journey to the neighborhood where the girl lived was quite, even though Rachel was so exciting she'd risked a pair of small crashes because she got distracted from the beauty of the city.

"Draw up here." Quinn said sweetly "That's the building but you'd need to turn around to get out of here."

"Not a problem." Rachel tried to reassure her.

Quinn shook her head and smile, "You already did a lot for me, Rachel."

Rachel blushed embarrassed, "I ju-just lifted you up."

"You were and amazing trip partner." She corrected her. "And also, you gave me so many ideas for that piece. Indeed, I guess I'll mention your name."

"Wha-?"

"Let's say it's one of the many article by me you'll find your name in." Quinn smiled, blinking, while Rachel finally drew up.

"You're making me blush." She confessed, red cheeks. "I think it's one of the kindest things people ever did for me."

Quinn brushed her head sweetly and when the car finally stopped, she opened the car door and jumped out fast. Rachel starred at her through the rear-view mirror while she was grabbing her rucksack from the trunk, pulling it to her shoulder and she felt something going through her stomach.

Those three days had been amazing, she had met a wonderful person and maybe also a good friend, but she couldn't really ask for her to keep in touch. She was six years older than her and with the like she lived, Quinn wouldn't have probably needed a little girl who couldn't stop asking about all the places she had seen.

But she felt bad about it … so much. She came out of the car, ready to say goodbye.

Quinn walked around her car and smile softly. She had to admit she would have missed that little girl. But she start with surprise when Rachel's arms wrapped around her and held her tight. And she couldn't help but give back.

"Thank you for everything, Rachel Berry." She said, once they'd split.

"No, thanks to you for being a good company on this trip, I won't forget."

Quinn nodded and brought out the wallet from the back-pocket of her jeans. She took a little piece of paper and leant it to Rachel with a smiled. Rachel took hit between her fingers and scowled her eyebrows, reading it fast.

'___Quinn Fabray: 212 – 89 20 75 92__'_

"So, if you need a guide, you'll know what to do." She explained, pointing with her finger upon the paper. "We could also go out for a coffee." She suggested.

"Quinn, I have no idea what to say …" she murmured, incredulous.

Where did that amazing woman come out from?

"Give me the chance to give back." She said with a smile. "I gave it to you so you can call me whenever you want. You can do that during these two week or when you're coming, in September, whenever you want."

Rachel smiled and held her again, like she couldn't avoid that.

"It was a pleasure to meet you." Quinn added, soft voice. "Enjoy New York, Rachel Berry."

Rachel watched her crossing the road, headed to an enormous building full of mirrors until she disappeared inside. She looked at the piece of paper into her hands smiling before she could enter back the car and grab a map to go around and check her new flat.

She had known from the very beginning that the trip would have been special, but she couldn't have imagined that an encounter to the service area could change her life that way.

Forever.


End file.
